The Lion and the Stigma
by Lilly Harris
Summary: When Gryffindor's chaser, Jane Rizzoli, first meets Ravenclaw's newest seeker; Maura Isles, she is suspicious and guarded. But as time passes, Jane is pulled into a deep and dangerous world of friendship, love, and a disturbing secret...will love prevail through betrayal and dark magic? Set in the last two years of their Hogwarts education. Nominated for a Rizzles Fan Award!
1. Preparation

**Ok, hello everyone! Hope you enjoy the story; it is based on the idea of Jane and Maura in their last two years of Hogwarts. I will be focusing on them, but plotlines from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and the Half-Blood Prince may feature. I do not own either of them, but a Gringotts break in is currently ensuing to investigate vault 713. Enjoy! :-)**

"Shit! Not again!" Jane Rizzoli howled as the staircases began to move, shifting away from the corridor that would have led her directly to the Quidditch pitches. She glanced out the window, and could see Oliver Woods flying towards the pitches on his broom, his scarlet and gold cape billowing behind him. She tilted her head up, and groaned. Her satchel was laden with parchment, books and the occasional quill, and her broom was slung over her shoulder. She had been eager to arrive before the captain got there, but now she was going to be late. For the fifth time. In one week.

"Crap..." she muttered, trying to figure out which route would be the quickest.

"Oi! Rizzoli! You ditching again?" Yelled Fred, grinning. George was walking beside him, strolling down the corridor, his Comet two-sixty resting on his shoulder, his hand perched on the handle. "Nah, just trying to get there before Woods beats the crap outta me!" Jane said.

The ginger twins shook their heads, and glanced at each other. "Well, we have a few Ton Tounge toffee's to spare...if Woods gives you any trouble, just let us know and we'll sort him out quick enough!"

"Thanks, but I think I'll pass." Jane replied, smiling.

"C'mon, quickest way to get down there is by flying." Fred said, gazing at the pitches.

The twins mounted their brooms, and squeezed through the narrow open window, pieces of parchment flying out of their bags, fluttering down to the green grass bellow them. Jane hopped onto her cleansweep seven, and followed suit.

Jane and the twins flew down hurriedly, but the entire team was already there, fully clad in their uniforms, huddled around Woods attentively.

Oliver glanced over at the three of them with a frown. "Hurry up you lot!" He shouted, as the three of them ran the remaining length of the pitch. "Now!" he continued "I want seven laps of the field, then I want all beaters, keepers and seekers to follow me for a group training session...all chasers..." Oliver pointedly stared at Jane, "Are to do Quaffle drills. I don't want to see that ball touch the ground once, you understand?" Jane nodded, her long dark curls bouncing.

"Right then...brooms at the ready!" Oliver said, hopping onto his own broomstick, he continued, "By the way, I'm afraid the pitch has been double-booked, so we'll be sharing with the Ravenclaw team today."

An almighty groan rippled throughout the group. "No complaining! If _some_ of you hadn't been so late, we might have had the pitch to ourselves..." Jane's ears reddened, and she stared down at the ground "...oh, and one other thing, Ravenclaw has a new seeker, so keep an eye on her, watch how she plays. I want to know just how good she is. Now then, onward and upward!"

Jane raised her eyebrows, and looked over at the Weasley twins curiously, but they simply shrugged. Nobody had heard anything about a replacement for the previous seeker ,Cho Chang, so they were all equally curious when the Ravenclaws flew onto the pitch, their blue and bronze cloaks billowing in the wind.

They watched them landing, all of the usual players were there; Roger Davies, Jeremy Stretton, Duncle Inglebee, but there, at the back, there was a flash of blonde hair, and a murmur spread through the Gryffindor team. All at once, everyone was muttering the name; "_Maura Isles_."

Everyone in Hogwarts knew the Isles family, Jane remembered the first time she saw Maura Isles, at the sorting ceremony...

"Are we playing cards or Quidditch?! GET IN THE AIR!" Oliver yelled, glaring down at them from his broom. "Jane, here!" Oliver threw the quaffle at her, and she caught it, clutching it under her arm. Turning his head, he barked, "Now Frankie, you need fly faster, I can't have any of my players being hit by bludgers this time!"

Jane smiled proudly, glancing over at her younger brother, who was nodding voraciously at Oliver's suggestions. He was the youngest member of the Gryffindor team, only in his second year of Hogwarts, and still dewy eyed and eager to please.

Jane turned to watch Maura as she prepared for practice. She was petite, with long, dirt blonde hair that was carefully tied into a bun. She was gorgeous, clever, and as Jane had been told several times by many people, dangerous, and not to be trusted under _any_ circumstance.

Jane was certain that she could rely on her gut instincts to get her through life, and that she would be intelligent enough to avoid getting herself into unusual situations, but what she could not know, was that her life was about to become irrevocably intertwined with the new seeker, and that her life would never be the same again.

Jane woke up on the day of the Quidditch match to see sun streaming in the window of the Gryffindor dormitories. She sat up and ran her hand through her messy hair, tugging at knots. Jane shared a room with Ron Weasley's younger sister, and Parvati Patil.

Ginny Weasley stirred and opened her eyes, yawning. "Ready for the match Weasley?" Jane asked, in a sleepy drawl.

"Only if you are, Rizzoli..." Ginny replied, rolling her neck and stretching out her arms. The two of them stared at the walls, which had been covered in banners, depicting the Gryffindor lion roaring triumphantly, leaping from pennant to pennant, sporadically pouncing on the snitch.

"Well, nothing to inspire confidence like a little artwork, eh Ginny?"

Ginny smiled, and reached for her wand on the bedside table, and pointing it at the walls, added a bludger into the tapestry, which a lion cub promptly leapt up to grab with its paws.

The Quidditch team walked into the great hall for breakfast, clad in their uniforms, and were met by cheers and catcalls, along with the occasional boo from the Slytherin's table. "Y'know George, I'm beginning to get the feeling that the Sytherins might not like Gryffindor..." Fred said, sitting down to a hearty plate of sausages and toast. "Right you are, Freddy...maybe we should see exactly what they are gossiping about..." George replied, pulling an extendable ear out of his breast pocket.

"Hey, let me listen too!" Jane said, nudging further along the bench, leaning over Fred's shoulder as the ear snuck its way under benches to the table on the opposite side of the Hall.

It stopped just under the spot where Kaylin Isles, Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson were sitting. George hushed the people either side of them to be quiet, and Ginny joined the eavesdropping, shoving Ron off his place.

"So Kaylin, do you think your sister will have any tricks up her sleeve for the match?" Draco drawled, fixing his hair while gazing at his reflection in his cereal spoon.

"Kaylin is Maura's sister?" hissed Ginny in surprise.

"Yeah...they were sorted into different houses, the year before you arrived..." Jane whispered.

"God, that's weird..."Ginny muttered.

"Why?"

"Well, Maura seemed alright...y'know, not evil..."

"Yeah, yeah, the Isles family is evil, now SHUT UP, the pair of you, I can't hear them!" George grumbled, straining to catch the conversation.

"Are you joking Draco?" Kaylin said, laughing and tossing her brown hair, "Maura-the-bora isn't capable of doing anything remotely sly...she'll play by the rules and Ravenclaw will lose the match...if she can even stay on her broom, that'll be an accomplishment!"

Pansy Parkinson grinned, and it gave the unnerving impression that she was going to go for the neck, her white teeth gleaming. "It is such a pity that you have to be associated with a family member in _Ravenclaw..._I mean, I've always heard that Slytherin keep families together..."

Kaylin, now looking mildly uncomfortable, said, "Well, she's unusual, always had her nose in a book...I don't honestly see why they accepted her onto the team; I've never even seen her fly except in madame hooch's classes, and she wasn't anything special."

"Well, as long as she beats the cowardly lions, I don't care." Draco snapped, bored of the conversation.

A long whistle sounded through the extendable ear, and all four at the Gryffindor table covered their ears. "Damn! What are we going to do about these high frequency problems?" George said, scratching his ear. But nobody else replied. They were all too busy looking to the top of the great hall, the origin of the whistle noise. It was Professor McGonagle, who was standing with her hands on her hips. "All Quidditch players from Ravenclaw and Gryffindor teams, please make your way to the pitches, immediately."

Jane hopped up, grabbed her broom, and tried to keep the smirk off her face as she made her way with the line of Gryffindors out of the great hall. Classes were great, and Jane was a good student, but still; on a Quidditch pitch, Jane Rizzoli _shone._

She glanced over to the Ravenclaw line, and saw Maura adjusting her gloves, and tying back her hair.

Sensing that she was being stared at, Maura looked to see Jane Rizzoli. She smiled, and nodded, much to Jane's surprise, who sharply turned her attention to staring straight ahead. Behind her strode Frankie, her younger brother. Everyone loved Frankie, a boy constantly trying to fill the shoes of his sister, and doing a pretty good job too. He was far from the worst keeper Gryffindor had ever seen, although he had the unfortunate habit of flying into bludgers during matches.

She shook herself mentally. "Get in the game" Maura muttered to herself, today was the day she was going to prove herself, show everyone that she was more than just a black sheep, an outcast.

Today was the day that everything would change. She was sure of it. She just couldn't have known just how drastic those changes would be.


	2. The Quidditch Catch

Jane sat with the other Gryffindors in the changing rooms, listening to the whoops and chants of the awaiting crowd. Oliver Woods was smiling for once, adjusting his badge, which read "CAPTAIN" in large, swirling gold lettering.

"I've got a good feeling about this game!" he declared, smiling. "so, do your best; play hard, play strong, and play fair."

Everyone set about their last minute preparations, adjusting their trousers and jackets, and trimming loose twigs from their brooms.

Jane heard the booming of Lee Jordan's voice on the intercom, announcing the arrival of Proffesor McGonagle, who was refereeing the match, and Woods turned shouting "single file everyone! Hop to it!"

Meanwhile, in the changing rooms on the other side of the pitch, the Ravenclaws were also getting ready. Maura closed her eyes, breathing in and out deeply, attempting to meditate before the game began, but she was too nervous to concentrate.

Roger Davies, the captain, stood up, gripping his goggles, and looking around at the team. "Well, this could be our year guys. I think we have a very strong chance against the Gryffindors. Isles..." Maura looked up sharply in attention, "...good luck. You're the best chance we have of winning today."

She nodded, and looked down at her hands, fidgeting anxiously. She never fidgeted.

The two teams walked out at the same time, as Lee yelled out "And the teams are coming onto the pitch! Ravenclaw mount their brooms to lap the pitches, and the Gryffindors are doing the same...this is sure to be an incredible match folks! We have familiar faces to welcome back from the Gryffindor team...but the Ravenclaw's latest addition to the team is Maura Isles, who has replaced the gorgeous Cho Chang..."

"LEE!" growled McGonagle.

"Sorry professor, the gorgeous and _talented_ Miss Chang, but the Ravenclaws certainly seem happy with their new seeker..."

The students in the stands were leaping up in a haphazard sort of mexican wave as Maura flew past, and Jane glanced over to see them smiling and waving banners as the two seekers soared around the pitch. Maura was certainly a good flyer, but didn't seem to be going particularly fast. On the other hand, Harry Potter was dodging around the posts, doing occasional loop de loops and showing off the Firebolt broomstick he had recently gotten, while students in the stand were shouting a kind of war chant; "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

McGonagle sounded the whistle, and both teams grouped into their formations in the centre of the pitch. "May the best team win!" McGonagle shouted, placing the whistle in her mouth and holding the quaffle, ready to toss it up. "Don't worry Miss, we will!" George shouted, grinning cheekily.

She could do nothing but throw him a warning glare, as she flung up the quaffle and blew the whistle.

"And the game is off!" Lee chattered, excitedly. "Gryffindor have possession, chaser Rizzoli with the quaffle, oh, she was almost hit by a bludger there...and oh...so close, Rizzoli _nearly _scores, but Ravenclaw are not going easy on them today...Harry Potter is still to go after the snitch, but ladies and gentlemen he is giving us a fine display of his new Broomstick, a fine piece of wizarding technology if ever there was one... look at that Firebolt go! Potter's really putting it through its paces now. See it turn – Frankie Rizzoli's Moontrimmer is just no match for it. The Firebolt's precision-balance is really noticeable in these long-"

"JORDAN! ARE YOU BEING PAID TO ADVERTISE FIREBOLTS? GET ON WITH THE COMMENTARY_!_" McGonagle shouted.

Maura had zoomed straight up, above the midst of the playing. She was lying in wait, saving her energy for when she caught a glimpse of the snitch. The quaffle was zooming around the pitch, mainly in the hands of Jane Rizzoli, and as usual, Gryffindor were already ahead, with 3 scores through the hoops.

A few loud yelps and screams were heard, and Maura twisted on her broom, turning her attention to the source of the noise.

A commotion was breaking out in the stands; Neville appeared to have been hit in the nose by a stray bludger, Madame Pomphrey was attending to him with piles of bandages. This momentarily distracted all but Jane Rizzoli, who grabbed the quaffle and scored again before anyone had the time to blink, let alone move towards the goals.

Roger Davies was practically thumping his head against one of the hoops in frustration. This match was not going at all how he would have hoped, and his reputation as captain was hanging by a thread as it was.

A bludger streaked in the seeker's direction, and Maura dodged it with ease, but then, out of the corner of her eye,there was a flash of gold.

She sped down, and zoomed in and out of the crowd of players, narrowly avoiding a bludger which was knocked in her direction by Fred, but she could see the snitch, and was gaining on it fast, faster even than Harry, who had caught on and was chasing after her.

"AND RAVENCLAW IS AFTER THE SNITCH!" Jordan boomed, "She's past Harry, Maura is gaining on it fast, she's reaching out, she's almost got it!"

Maura strained, her blonde hair and uniform billowing out behind her. Her fingers could feel the fluttering of the snitch's wings, but as she flew past Frankie Rizzoli, she saw that something was wrong. He was hanging onto his broom by his fingertips.

She turned so sharply that Harry almost collided into her, and shot over to help Frankie. "And Maura has abandoned the snitch, ladies and gentlemen this is quite a turn...FRANKIE!" Lee Jordan had only just noticed the predicament of the younger Rizzoli sibling, and watched, slack jawed as the blonde reached out for his hand. Lee was not the only person who had not noticed. Everyone, in fact, had been so preoccupied watching Maura fly, that all the other players had gone wholly unnoticed by their audience.

"HELP!" Frankie yelled out, gripping onto the wood as hard as he could, trying to haul himself up. It was no use, the broom was swaying from side to side in the wind, and every attempt to scramble up was failing. Maura was only a foot away from him, reaching out her hand. She edged closer, carefully, afraid that she would knock his broom. "Frankie, try to grab my hand...you can do it!" she pleaded.

Jane looked on, frozen in horror. She couldn't move. There was twenty feet between him and the ground.

Madame Hooch had run off to grab a broom, but it was to late. Frankie could hold on no longer, and his fingers slid off the wood. Maura reached down, desperately trying to grab him, but it was no use. She bolted down, in a last ditch attempt to save his fall, but he crumpled to the ground, howling and clutching his leg. Maura grabbed her wand, and stopped her broom so quickly that she was flung off.

Jane landed, and began running down the pitch towards the them.

"My Leg..." Frankie said, whimpering. Maura saw the grotesque position of Frankie's leg, and pressed, very gently. "OUCH!" Frankie howled. Maura winced, and said, "Sorry...Frankie, your leg has been broken, maybe in two places...I know a spell that'll heal it, but..." Frankie looked up at her, tears in his eyes. "...this is gonna hurt." Frankie squeezed his eyes tight, and nodded. "Do it!"

Everyone seemed to be moving now. Madame Pomphrey was rushing towards them, carrying the bloody rags that had just been used to clean up Neville, and everyone in the stands were on their feet. Pointing her wand at Frankie's leg, the blonde said "EPISKEY"

Frankie arched his back, yelping, he felt as though his leg was on fire, and he pulled at the clumps of grass by his hands, gasping, waiting for the pain to subside.

Jane ran up, having run the full length of the pitch, and leant down by her brother, protectively placing her arm over his torso.

"What the hell did you do to my brother?" She snarled, glaring at Maura, but before the blonde could respond, Madame Pomphrey scuttled up, dropping the bandages and inspecting Frankie's leg, which he was now moving freely. "You used the episkey charm?"

Maura nodded, and began to stand up, brushing herself off.

"Very good. I'll be taking Francis down to the hospital for observation, but he should be back on his feet in no time."

Jane looked at Frankie worriedly, then up at Madame Pomphrey. "Oh, don't worry Jane, you've been in plenty of worse scrapes and come out fine. It's miss Isles you ought to thank though, I left my wand over with Mr. Longbottom, so it's thanks to her your brother was ought of his misery so quickly."

With that, Madame Pomphrey stood up, tugging at Frankie's arm gently.

Jane turned to the blonde, who was picking up her broom and placing her wand back into her pocket. "Hey, um..." Jane started, her tone edgy, "...thanks. For y'know..."

Maura looked up, hazel eyes with flecks of gold staring straight into the inky black of Jane Rizzoli's, and smiled broadly. "You're welcome. I work with Madame Pomphrey in the wards on the weekends, so..."

Jane looked down at her feet, and said gruffly, "and...I'm sorry about the way I spoke to you. That was uncalled for..."

"Oh, don't worry. I get that a lot...people often make assumptions based on prior knowledge of actions and physical appearance, it's an evolutionary technique to ensure survival."

Jane blinked, and raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Everything alright?" Maura asked, her head tilted slightly.

"_God, she's cute.."_ Jane thought to herself, but she started, and nodded, saying "Yeah, um...it's just...you're..."

"An Isles. I know." Maura looked down, and Jane could see the sadness in her eyes. The isolation.

The students and players, who were now shifting from foot to foot, some already in the air, were impatient to get playing again. Madame Hooch had arrived back on the pitch, with a bludger in hand.

There was a faint flutter, and for a second, it looked as though Maura was going to strike Jane, who flinched back, and closed her eyes, only to discover once opening them again, that Maura's fist was half an inch from her face.

Maura pulled back, smiling, and upturning her palm so that everyone could see, unfurled her fingers to reveal the snitch, laying in her hand.

Lee Jordan, momentarily stunned, grabbed the intercom and said, in a dazed tone; "Ravenclaw wins the match..."

**Heya, a very big thank you to everyone who has reviewed/favourited/followed, you guys are great! A big flashback is coming up in the next chapter, and rizzles soon, I promise! **


	3. The Sorting Ceremony

The Gryffindors stumbled back into their common room that evening dragging their brooms behind them, with dazed expressions. None of them could believe that they had beaten with such an unexpected and brilliant catch. Even Harry was deflated, and went over to sit in a corner drowning his sorrows in butterbeer. Frankie limped in behind them, his leg healed, but still tender from such a high fall. As they began to disperse between the sofa's and their rooms, Jane Rizzoli slumped down into a large chair beside the fireplace, and stared into the hot coals, thinking.

The first time she had ever seen Maura Isles was the first year sorting ceremony, Jane was looking around at the other students nervously, waiting for her name to be called out by professor McGonagall. Draco Malfoy was in front of her, boasting about how he had narrowly avoided being caught by a muggle while on his broomstick for a flying competition in London. Jane rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She was just about to point out that there were no flying competitions in London, _she_ should know, since she'd been entering them from the age of five and onwards, when finally, the elderly woman read out from the long roll of parchment: "Rizzoli, Jane!"

Jane was shaking slightly, as she made her way up to the platform, and sat down with a thump on a small wooden stool. McGonagall smiled at her, then placed the hat gently over her long dark curls. Jane waited impatiently for something to happen, when all of a sudden, there was a soft voice in her ear. _"Another Rizzoli, eh? Hmm...tricky...plenty of intelligence in there...determination too, and plenty of courage!...no lack of ambition...but...better be...GRYFFINDOR!"_ Jane couldn't stop herself from grinning as she made her way down to the Gryffindor table, sitting down in the first empty space she could find, everything around her a haze of gold and scarlet.

Jane sat beside a young boy with chocolate coloured skin and kind eyes, who introduced himself as Frost, a second year student. On her right was a sixth year boy who had been a friend of the Rizzoli family for years; Vincent Korsak.

The Gryffindor's were still whooping and cheering from claiming Harry Potter as their own, and she glanced down the table to smile as the boy, who was beaming at everyone happily through his spectacles, chattering to two other first years, Ron and Hermoine.

Jane's parents had both been in Gryffindor, although the sorting hat had briefly considered Hufflepuff for her father. Korsak clapped her on the back, "Well done Jane! You got into the best house of them all, no question." he said, winking. Jane laughed, and was digging into the chocolate pudding that had appeared in front of her, when McGanagall called out "Isles, Maura!"

There was an eerie hush throughout the tables, and Jane frowned.

A small girl with long blonde hair, and a graceful expression was walking up to the platform, but everyone in the room was glaring at her darkly.

"Oi, Korsak, what's so special about her?" Jane asked, her mouth full of chocolate pudding. Korsak leant towards her and muttered "She's an Isles. Her family are about as bad as you can get...they served right under you-know-who during the war...there isn't a single decent person in their family..." Jane looked at him puzzled, Korsak had never judged anyone this harshly before...he loved everything living, and had gotten into trouble on several occasions for taking care of neglected cats and owls in his dorm. "Trust me Jane, there isn't one of them that isn't dangerous. That one will be sorted into Slytherin for sure, just like the others."

Jane once again turned her attention to the girl, who's head was so small that the sorting hat fell past her hair down to her nose. Jane could see that she was holding onto the chair for dear life, her knuckles white.

Maura tensed. Why wasn't anything happening? What if she didn't get sorted at all? What if she had to go back to her _parents_?

"_Hold your horses..."_ a soft voice said. At first Maura wondered if she had imagined it, but then it spoke again. "_Well now Isles, where shall I put you? You have just as much potential as the rest of your family, no doubt about that...but, there's something else there too...a brilliant mind, extraordinary...you've certainly got your wits about you...endurance...valour...reserve...I think I know just the house for you! RAVENCLAW!"_

A shocked hush spread throughout the great hall, and Jane smiled to herself. "Not as bad as everyone else seems to think then..." she muttered, returning her attention to her food.

It took every once of self control for Maura not to leap up with happiness there and then, but she felt the hat being pulled off by McGonagall, and she quickly scurried to the Ravenclaw table, thinking to herself "I've done it...I'm free..."

She looked for a space, but students simply stared down at their plates, unwilling to shift and make room. Maura's fluttering heart began to slow in tempo. Nothing was different, she was still alone.

**Once again, thank you guys for being amazing! The next chapter will be MUCH longer, and include our two favourite ladies in potions class, a patronus fiasco and a late night broomstick flight! :-)**


	4. The Hazards of Snake Fangs

**Hey everyone! So sorry for the ridiculously long hiatus, but it has been a crazy year, to say the least. There will be a chapter update every Saturday from now on. Hope you enjoy the fic! **

Jane and Maura exchanged their first proper conversation in mid october, when the weather was sharply turning cooler, the golden-green leaves changing into deep scarlet and ochre hues.

As the leaves fell softly around them, Jane and the other Gryffindors were huddled together, making their way through the twisting and turning corridors of the castle begrudgingly, shoving their wands and scrolls into their bags.

The warmth of the building was a wonderful respite from the bitter cold outside, but their hearts were sinking further and further with each step.

Neville Longbottom wrapped his scarf tightly around his neck as the group approached the steps leading down to the dungeons, and Jane put her hand on his shoulder as a sign of solidarity. They were heading down to potions class with Professor Snape, and they were all late, which naturally, meant extra homework and the wrath of Severus.

Jane crept to the back of the group, eager to avoid being the poor sod who had to explain to Snape the reason behind the groups tardiness, which had been a firework display put on by Fred and George, who were showing off the stuff they had made over the weekend.

The heavy old walnut doors were pushed open, and Snape turned sharply at the noise, swooping down from the top of the classroom, his capes billowing out behind him, making him appear disconcertingly bat-like.

"It seems as though the _courageous_ Gryffindors have taken to practicing their dramatic entrances again..." Snape fumed, his brow furrowed. "Longbottom!" he snapped, glaring at Neville, who was quivering slightly from nerves. "Name me the ingredients necessary to create the wide eye potion!"

While Neville was being interrogated, the Gryffindors scrambled around, trying to settle down in their seats, while the Ravenclaws stared at them.

Jane, who was still last in the bunch, desperately ran to the nearest seat she could find, on the Ravenclaw's side of the room. She stared down at the desk, pulling out her textbooks and wand, and desperately hoping that she hadn't forgotten her homework again.

"Well..." Snape droned, "since you have clearly forgotten the basic steps to a most useful potion, we shall be making it again, and this time, I want an detailed write up on my desk tomorrow morning from all of you, along with your essay on the effectiveness of silver on werewolf bites." A groan rippled throughout the classroom, and only grew louder as he continued "And as you were all so late, I think I shall pair you with a house which seems to be slightly more adept at arriving on time. Look, Jane has already set the example for you."

Jane looked up sharply at the call of her name, and furrowed her brow. She hadn't really registered that she wasn't on her usual side of the room, and turning to her right, she found herself staring into the hazel-gold eyes of Maura Isles.

"oh...hey..." Jane mumbled, leaning down into her bag to pull out a small pair of scales. Maura smiled back, and Jane started. The warmth of her smile was so unexpected, that for a second the dark haired girl just stared, before giving her a crooked smile in return.

"I want the wide eye potion prepared and placed in a flask, on my desk in an hour." Snape barked, sitting at his desk and shuffling through a pile of parchment.

Maura pulled her long blonde hair back, wrapping it up into a ponytail, which she pulled tightly, a few wisps hanging by her temples.

Jane found herself gazing at the smooth curve of the nape of Maura's neck, and she almost slapped herself when she caught on to her own actions. The blonde had not noticed, and was gliding her finger down the ingredients list set before her in her textbook.

"Okay...we need six snake fangs...and six billywig stings, I think..." Maura said quietly, side glancing at Jane.

Jane took the excuse to get as far away from the blonde as possible, and gathered up the ingredients slowly, scooping them into a mortar. "What the hell is going on with me?" She muttered softly, making her way back to the wooden worktable, almost blackened with scorch-marks from the previous unsuccessful attempts of students past.

Maura reached out to take the snake fangs, accidentally brushing her fingers against Jane's.

Jane startled, a small, but not indiscernible shock rippling through her arm. The sensation was not unpleasant, but she pulled back quickly.

Maura quickly turned away, trying to swallow the tears that were quickly beginning to brim. "Am I really that repellent?" She asked, turning to face Jane with a small scowl. "What...no, I...your hands were just...cold..." Jane blushed furiously. "Look...I'm sorry. I don't think you're a bad person...I mean, Frankie won't stop yapping about how great you are, y'know, after fixing his leg and everything, I-"

Maura stopped her, saying gently: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed. It's just that it happens so often that...uh, Jane?" Maura paused, her eyes widening, and pointed to Jane's fist, which was hovering over the cauldron, as a few snake fangs dropped into the bottom.

"Uh, was I not supposed to do that?" Jane asked, peering down. Before she could react, Jane felt an almighty tug on her arm, pulling her away from the table, knocking her onto her back, as there was an blindingly white flash of light and an explosion from the exact same spot where their cauldron had just been placed.

Following the blast, there was a deadly silence. Jane squinted, and opened her eyes to see a room of very surprised, soot covered faces staring back at her. Snape was looming over her, his hair sticking up in every direction. "Jane Rizzoli." He murmured through gritted teeth, "I will see you and Maura Isles in detention every day for the next week."

Jane gulped, and glanced down at the floor.

"_This is going to be a___**long**_ week." _she thought to herself.


	5. The First Detention

**Hey Everyone! **

**As always, a MASSIVE thank you to everyone reading the story, hope you are enjoying it so far. Thanks so much for all the reviews and follows, it really means a lot.**

Jane sat on one of the sofas in the common room, her long legs dangling over one arm, her head resting against the other. She was holding a pink slip of paper above her, which read: _"Jane Rizzoli will be detained from 4:00 pm to 6:00pm on Monday the 15th of October; for misconduct in Potions, not following instructions and potentially endangering the health and safety of other students."_ Snape had scribbled more specific instructions at the bottom:

"_Jane Rizzoli will report to the trophy room and clean all the silverware contained within it. Magic is in no account permitted to aid her in this task."_

Jane groaned, and turned to Frost, who was sitting in the next chair over, charming a miniature broomstick to fly around the room. He made it fly in front of her face, halting just an inch or two away from her nose.

Jane glared at him, and swatted it away, sending it spinning into a pile of scrolls in front of Hermione, who glowered at them, scooped up the parchment and stomped back up the stairs to the girl's dormitories.

Frost grinned apologetically, and said: "Well, it could be worse Jane, I mean, Snape could have barred you from playing Quidditch or something, he's done it to Harry enough times...and at least you don't have to go to the Forbidden Forrest."

"But this is just one of five! Snape's got it cut out for me for the whole week! And I have to spend the whole time with Maura, I mean, I'm the one who get her into this mess, so she's probably going to be mad at me, and then there was the whole Frankie thing, and it's not like we have much in common to start with..and..ugh." She ran her hands though her bedraggled curls, and sighed heavily.

"Maybe it won't be so bad. You said yourself, she's not as horrible as everyone thinks she is." Frost said, picking up a copy of the Quibbler and flicking through the pages, eagerly concentrating when he found a column about the Holyhead Harpies.

Jane paused. The image of Maura Isles had been ingrained in her memory since the match, and recently, whenever she found herself daydreaming, they always led her to the blonde, and the nape of her neck, her voice...Jane just couldn't figure out if this was a good sign or a bad one. There _was _something a little bit strange about Maura, some part of her always seemed hidden away, locked at the back of her consciousness, and it made Jane uneasy, and a little distrustful. Since she was young, Jane had prided herself of her ability to read others, and being capable of speedily summing up people, and generally being right about them. With Maura Isles, it seemed impossible to be definite about anything, and it made Jane was stuck in a limbo of curiosity and confusion.

"Um, earth to Jane?" Frost said, looking at her with a puzzled expression. "Oh, sorry." Jane mumbled, "I guess I'm just tired."

"Well, don't worry. It'll be o.k, and it's only a week right? By the weekend I bet you'll have forgotten all about it."

Jane nodded, chewing her knuckles absentmindedly. A small voice in the back of her head was telling her that Frost was wrong, but instead of dwelling, she grabbed the nearest bottle of butter-beer and took a large swig. "Hey Frost, do you want me to grab a trophy for you while I'm down there?"

"Thanks, but I'll win my own."

Jane smiled, her eyebrows raised. "But you don't play Quidditch..."

"Won't need to. One of these days I'm going to earn so many house points, they'll _have_ to give me a trophy or something."

"Well, I'll drink to that. Good luck buddy." Jane said, taking another gulp of her drink. "Alright, I'm off to bed." She yawned, patting Frost on the shoulder as she walked past.

"Have fun in detention!" He called cheerily.

"Yeah yeah." Jane waved her hand dismissively, dragging her feet up the spiral staircase, thinking, as she climbed into bed, about how she would enjoy flying practice on Saturday, and how depressing it was that now even Oliver's excruciatingly tough circuits seemed like fun.

The First Detention.

The sun woke Jane up the next morning, golden light streaming though the thick curtains. And she started the day feeling surprisingly happy. The prospect of detention seemed less daunting than it had the previous evening, and as she drank a cup of smooth, hot coffee in the great hall, surrounded by the laughter and happiness of her friends, many of whom were busy flinging pieces of toast at each other, she couldn't help but feel that she would be able to handle whatever the fates decided to throw at her.

Her mood was stilled, however, when she looked over at the Ravenclaw table, where she saw that there was one space which was not occupied by it's usual inhabitant, but despite no-one being there, a bowl of fruit salad was still placed in front of the empty seat.

Jane nudged Korsak, who was busy enjoying a plate of bacon and eggs, and she pointed over at the table. He shrugged dismissively. "Maybe she's late or something..." but seeing how Jane had furrowed her brow in concern, he quickly added: "I dunno. Don't worry about it, I'm sure she's fine. You'll see her in detention anyway, right?"

"I 'spose." Jane mumbled, her mouth full.

Korsak grabbed the pink detention slip sitting on the table, crumpled among quills and a bottle of ink. "silver polishing, huh? I had to do that when they caught me sneaking a labrador into the dorms when I was in first year. But no magic? That's rough."

Jane smiled, and shook her head gently at Korsak. He was still secretly keeping two owls and a ginger tabby cat, and had once tried to persuade Hagrid, the school groundskeeper, to give him a hippogriff to take care of during the summer holidays. Now and had come to a happy compromise and worked _with _Hagrid, helping to groom and feed the animals, and occasionally helping professor Sprout with the plants.

And so the day dragged on, as they all do when something unpleasant is waiting for you at the end. Classes, normally enjoyable, became an exhausting prolonging of the inevitable. Jane didn't even enjoy seeing Seamus Finnigan set off fireworks in Flitwick's class, almost causing him to fall of the table in surprise.

The final class ended, and Jane sighed, pulled her hair back into a tight ponytail, and strode towards the trophy room with as much confidence as she could muster.

Snape was already waiting outside the door, glaring like a buzzard at the students filing by through the corridors. When he saw Jane approaching his eyes became narrow slits.

"Rizzoli. Glad to see you on time, for once." He folded his arms, his black cape swooshing menacingly. "Everything you need is inside. Get to work."

Jane tiptoed in to see a room piled with metal objects of every description piled from floor to ceiling, some hanging precariously from rusty hooks on the walls, others carefully arranged in glass cabinets, the whole room seemed to creek and groan with every step she took. On one of the few clear spaces on the floor, there was a bucket, rag, and seven bottles of silver polish.

She sighed, tilted her head back, and rolled up her shirt sleeves. "Sir?"

"What?" Snape asked irritably.

"Is there anyone else in detention?"

"Miss Isles will be joining you shortly. She is otherwise _engaged_."

Jane nodded, and tipped the nozzle of one of the bottles onto a rag, the sharp scent of the polish filling her nostrils. She pulled out her wand, and muttered "_accio trophies_", and a cluster of piled silverware flew towards her, Jane barely able to duck in time.

"I believe I specified NO magic, Miss Rizzoli." Snape barked, opening his palm towards her. "your wand please."

Jane begrudgingly handed it to him, shoving her hands in her pockets.

"You will be able to obtain it after detention. Now get to work." Snape turned and walked briskly down the corridor, his cape billowing out behind him. Jane glared after him icily, attempting to will him to trip over the material by sheer mental force.

She turned back to the pile on the floor, and started to scrub.

There were beads of sweat on her brow, and as Jane looked out of the grimy window in the room, she could see the sun setting over the quidditch fields, the light turning everything it touched into an orange-gold flame.

She had been working for about half an hour, at this stage, when she heard the pattering of footsteps clicking down the corridor, far too light to be Snape's.

She stood up, walked to the doorway, and peeked out to see the figure of Maura Isles jogging down the hallway, a red leather satchel banging at her hip. Jane waved, and Maura tilted her head up, giving her a small smile.

"Hey." Jane grinned. "Trying to get out of detention huh?"

Maura looked at her puzzled. "Actually, I had a family...well, a prior engagement. I couldn't get here before now, but I'm more than happy to stay longer."

"Oh, no worries, I was just trying to finish this thing off, and it's my fault we're in this mess, so...you can take off if you like." Maura shook her head, "Oh no, I'll stay." she said, with a smile. The brunette nodded and moved back towards another pile. Jane held up a half polished metal quaffle, which had been presented to the French quidditch team in 1972 for "Outstanding Chaser Accomplishments."

Maura took it from Jane's arms, holding it in her left hand, and held it at arms length, examining it, turning it to observe every angle. "it's beautiful." She said, gazing around the room, her eyes finally settled on Jane. The brunette gulped, not allowing herself to look at Maura for more than a couple of seconds.

Jane picked up a small model of Rowena Ravenclaw, and throwing it underhand, said "Hey, Isles, catch." Maura reached out, and caught it, but visibly flinched as the object hit her palm, she grasped at her elbow with the other hand, wincing. "Oh shit...sorry, you ok?" Jane asked hurriedly, mentally face palming herself.

"Yeah..." Maura grimaced. I think I may have sprained it earlier."

"Let me take a look, my brothers have had so many injur-"

"No!" she cried out, holding out her palms, before blushing and looking down at the floor, burying her face in her hands. "I'm sorry, I just...I can't."

Jane, startled, shook her head, saying; "Sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't, it's me, really, I'm not used to...well, earlier, I-" Maura stuttered, becoming more and more flustered. "Hey, hey, It's fine!" Jane took two quick strides, crossing the room, and gently placed a hand on Maura's shoulder, and waited until she looked up from the stone slabs. "Seriously, it was my fault, and you don't need to explain anything, ok?"

The blonde looked up Jane with and that was somewhere between bewilderment and wonder. "Tha...thanks. Jane."

Jane liked the way Maura said her name, like it was something special, a word to only be used on very important occasions, and she couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. "No worries, now lets sort the rest of this stuff."

It was almost five thirty now, and the late autumn twilight had turned the campus into a midnight shadow, everything dusted with a tone of purple, blue and green. What little light there was trickled into the room and fragmented onto the silver pieces, like hundreds of small stars. Jane was dusting the plaque off the bottom of a trophy when she stopped, and squinted to read the words inscribed there. She scrambled up excitedly, "Hey Maura! Look at this!" The honey blonde stopped cleaning the small unicorn statue in her hand, and peered up at the article Jane was holding. It was an old quidditch trophy. "Look at the writing!"

On it was inscribed:

"_James Potter: Seeker_

_Rubin Fletcher: Chaser_

_Angela Rizzoli: Chaser_

_Hannah Tumlebone.: Chaser_

_Frank Longbottom: Beater_

_Minerva McGonagall: Beater_

_Alice Longbottom: Keeper"_

"It's the Gryffindor cup! My Ma played in that season." Jane held it up over her head, making mock crowd cheering noises. "And the crowd goes wild!" Jane laughed, and looked at Maura, who stood up holding an immaculate cup, with a blank plaque at the bottom. "...and this is the cup which will bear one of our house names in the finals." Maura said, running her hand along the bottom.

"May the best team win." Jane said, grinning and holding out her hand.

Maura grasped it, and shook it, laughing, and gazed up at Jane, their height difference suddenly becoming very apparent to the both of them. Jane was having a little trouble breathing, truth be told, the two of them had never been so physically close. As much as she tried to ignore it, Jane Rizzoli was finding herself increasingly drawn to Maura, and the pull was becoming more and more electric, unstable. She wasn't sure how long the could control it for, and what scared her the most was that she barely _knew_ Maura. All she had was the instinct of attraction, one that seemed to have leapt out of nowhere.

Little did Jane know, that Maura was having a similar epiphany, gazing up into her smoky eyes, so dark that they were almost black, she reached up her hand, seemingly to cup Jane's cheek, but instead she brushed her fingertips across her dimples, and said, almost imperceptibly "There was some polish on your cheek." "Thanks." Jane replied huskily.

The heavy footsteps of Snape approaching hauled them back into reality, and they pulled apart quickly. The absence of contact was felt by both immediately, and neither of them was really listening while Severus lectured them about learning their lesson, and how the rest of the detentions would be a valuable learning experience.

Both Jane and Maura parted without saying a word, each walking to their bedrooms with a new sort of minor revelation spinning in their heads, but while Jane climbed to her bed, and slept soundly dreaming of the possiblities that awaited her, she remained blissfully unaware that Maura was beginning to panic, remaining troubled by a pain in her arm, which bore a terrible and binding secret.

Maura scrambled out of bed and tore into the bathroom, biting her fist in an attempt to stop herself from screaming out loud. She ripped up her pajama sleeve, and stared with pure loathing at what she saw there. A tattoo of a skull, with a snake curling out of its gaping jaws. The Dark Mark.


	6. The Mirror Within

**Heya, everyone, I just want to say THANK YOU so much for the nomination for the Rizzles Fan Award, seriously. You guys are amazing, and reviews/follows/favorites really mean the world to me. **

Tuesday was the first day that Jane Rizzoli truly became friends with Maura Isles, and Jane had not needed to wait until detention to see her. She had been strolling through the classroom hallway on her way to lunch, when she heard a crack, and a frustrated yelp.

Jane quickly peered into the door where the noise had come from, and was surprised at what she saw.

Maura was standing there, her arm pointed straight out, her wand facing the ceiling. Her hair, usually perfectly arranged, was sticking out in random places, frizzled, and she was glaring at the roof with a look of such fierce concentration that Jane couldn't move, she just stood at the door, watching.

Maura's free arm moved from her side to behind her back, as she called out "_Expecto Patronum!_"

At first, her wand shook slightly, as a thin line of sparkling silver wisps were produced, turning and twisting gracefully before fading into thin air.

"Darn it!" Maura yelled, running a hand through her hair, and tilting her head back, breathing deeply. Then a sudden calmness came over her face as she walked over to her bag, which was placed in the far corner. She picked up something that looked a small disc.

She threw it across the room, aimed with her wand, and said"_engorgio." _

The object burst into flames, scattering in pieces across the room. Jane's eyes widened, as Maura continued working. "_reparo._" with a flick of her wand, all the pieces came back together, and she placed the disk back into her satchel.

The blonde returned to her original position, poised and ready to attempt the patronus spell again, when Jane decided to make herself known.

"Hey." Jane said, smiling and giving her a small wave. "Oh! Hello Jane," a slightly startled Maura blushed, pushing her hair frantically back into place with her hand.

"Am I interrupting?" Jane asked peering around the classroom.

"Oh no, I was just practicing. Last year, with all the things that happened in school I never really learned the expecto patronum spell...it's such a useful charm, and I asked Harry to teach me, but he seemed...preoccupied, with all the Ministry Of Magic things..."

Maura looked down, fiddling with her wand.

"Yeah, it's a good spell to know. Pretty badass." Jane grinned, trying to lighten the mood. As a member of Dumbldore's Army herself, she had been taught it last year by Hermione in the Room of Requirement.

"Badass?" Maura asked, in a baffled tone.

"Oh...y'know, cool, dangerous." She explained, shrugging her shoulders.

"Um, Jane...do you think you could teach me? Cho Chang told me you know the spell, she was busy yesterday so..."

Jane felt a pang of guilt in her chest. She had seen Cho last night giggling and messing around with a group of her friends. _"what is it about Isles that makes everyone want to avoid her?" _Jane thought, her mood changing quickly from puzzled to defensive.

Taking her silence as a refusal, Maura bowed her head. "Sorry, I know you must have other things to be doing."

Jane didn't respond, instead, she walked over to Maura until she was behind her, with only a few inches between them. She gently took Maura's wrist in her hand, and heard her exhale sharply at the contact. "Wrist still sore?" Jane asked. Maura shook her head. Jane waited for the blonde to stop her, but as there were no objections, Jane continued, and brought up her hand, very tenderly, until it joined the wrist of the hand holding her wand.

"Ok. Umm, point your wand at that wall there."

Jane laid her fingertips gently on Maura's elbow. Being this close to her was making her dizzy, but the effect was so enthralling that she couldn't help but continue. "Ok, loosen up a bit."

Maura nodded, trying to slow down her breathing. She could have sworn that Jane would be able to hear her heartbeat from here, but she simply looked ahead, tilting her chin up.

"alright, so tell me about your patronus."

"Well, the spell was invented by..."

"No, I mean, what is _your_ patronus? What form does it take?"

"-I...I'm not sure.'

"Ok, well, when I learned it, I was told to remember that is a shield spell, it's supposed to protect stuff, namely you. Think of the memories in life you want to protect, the happiest moments."

Maura furrowed her brow, and tried to concentrate, but as she tried to conjure some distant memory, or recollection of a bright summer day, or the ending of a good book, but she only came up with a gray haze of unrecognizable measures of solitude. She tried to stop the tears from running down her cheeks, but to no avail.

"Oh Jeez, Maura, are you okay?" Jane asked, alarmed, rushing to her side and placing her arm on her forearm, rubbing it up and down in the hopes of providing some form of comfort. "C'mon, Maura, talk to me." Jane implored.

Maura sniffled, and looked up, saying: "I'm so sorry, I'm not...I'm not normally like this, I just, I started thinking about a lot of things that I never really thought about..before."

Jane's arm moved down from her arm to her hand, and Jane squeezed Maura's hands lightly in her own. Had Jane not been concentrating on an emotionally compromised Maura, she would have been astounded by her own dauntlessness. She smiled at Maura, trying to help.

"I spent a lot of time alone...there was...a lot of benign neglect. When I was a child, I didn't ask for much, I don't think I really knew how." Jane's face fell. She had no idea. The Isles family were so rich, everyone had assumed that anyone within their family had it made. Maura continued "...And the less that I would ask for, the less time they had for me. They were...very involved in their own lives, and their work. I got my letter for Hogwarts when I was ten. I was so excited Jane, I..." Maura leant her head back, in an attempt to stop herself from crying again. "But when I arrived, I felt so isolated. No-one ever approached me unless they had to, and I just wonder Jane, am I hollow inside? I don't understand people easily, and I've never really had a friend..." Maura's voice began to falter. "And I'm so tired! I can't-"

"C'mere" Jane mumbled. Maura stopped when she felt two arms tightly embrace her, Jane's head resting on her shoulder. Maura was shocked, but wrapped her arms around the taller brunettes waist, nuzzling into her neck. She had never felt such warmth in all her life, it seemed to ripple from every crevice inside of her, filling her up with a happiness that made her feel like she was shining.

"No matter what happened to you-" Jane said, her voice slightly more choked up than normal, "You are NOT hollow, okay?" She pulled back, her hands on Maura's shoulders. "sure, you're a little antisocial maybe, a little goofy, but that- that's not the same thing."

Maura smiled, and nodded, pulling back and brushing her tears away with her fingertips.

"Man, we're a pair." Jane said, chuckling.

Maura laughed, softly, her voice still thick with emotion. "Thank you."

'Any time. But Maura?"

"Hmm?"

"I think I might have an idea...come with me."

Jane led Maura down a twisting route through long disused corridors, past the great hall, and down a wide passageway, and stopped so suddenly that Maura almost crashed into her.

Jane was grinning triumphantly at a wall, her hands on her hips, and she turned back to face Maura expectantly.

"Umm...Jane? What is it?" Maura asked, fearing momentarily that Jane had gone mad.

"Seriously? Not after all the rumors last year?...This is the room of requirement Maura."

The blonde's eyes widened as Jane pressed her palm against the bricks, and a door seemed to meld and form right in front of her eyes. Jane pushed the handle, and seeing that Maura was reluctant to go in, gently grabbed her sleeve and tugged.

Jane peered frantically around the room, which was sparse and dusky, a single window allowing the light in. "Ah ha! I knew it would be here!" Jane ran to the far side of the room, where there was a large, tall object with a shroud covering it. She pulled it off, coughing as a cloud of dust descended on her.

"Tada!" Jane said, throwing her arms out and saying in a phony old-timer voice; "ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the Mirror of Erised!"

Maura walked up to the side of it, brushing her hand against the silver frame. "It's beautiful...but Jane...how does this help me?'

"The memory doesn't necessarily have to be real Maura, if the Mirror shows you what you want to become, or to have, then you can focus on that right?"

Maura shifted, and stood in front of the mirror. "But Jane, I don't see any-" she stopped, mid sentence, as she realized that there was only one, almost imperceptible difference between the reflection and reality. Her sleeves were rolled up, and there was nothing imprinted on her skin. She twisted, and turned, but the dark mark was gone. Maura couldn't help but feel more depressed. The absence of the mark was simply a reminder of the freedom she had so willingly forfeited, and reminded her of the impending task that lay ahead of her. The burning sensation only meant that her time was running out.

"So?"Jane asked, eagerly.

But Maura continued gazing, it appeared that the Mirror was not finished with her yet. In the reflection, she could see her hand moving, to grasp something. Another hand, which intertwined with hers in a tender and delicate clasp. The mysterious owner of the hand was wearing the same uniform jumper as her, but instead of bronze and blue thread on the cuff, there was red and gold. The Mirror did not reveal who the person was, but as Maura turned to face Jane, she felt that she could certainly make an educated guess.

Feeling her heart thumping in her ears, instead of responding to Jane directly, she said, shakily; "I'm not entirely sure...I can't make all of it out. What do you see?"

Jane walked in front of the mirror, and frowned in concentration. Then her face lit up, her eyes sparkling. "I see myself as an auror...I'm in the uniform and everything. Oh, and Frankie's there too! I think I'm being given a medal, or something...there's a load of people there...I think Colin Creevy is photographing us." She grinned.

"I think you would make an excellent auror." Maura said, quietly.

"Huh...I never really thought about it before...can't really see myself doing anything else though."

Jane snapped back to attention, facing Maura. "Alright, now, enough career guidance, try the patronus again."

"Now?"

"Why not?"

"umm..." Maura turned her head away, clearly nervous. Jane smiled, and moved towards her. "You can do it. I saw you blast that plate-thing to bits, you'll conjure a patronus no problem."

"It's a discus Jane...and it was just so I could measure my magic in comparison." Maura glanced down at her wand, twisting the handle "...can I see you do one first? Just so I can see your technique."

Jane nodded sagely, and said "Watch and learn, young grasshopper."

"Grasshopper?"

"Oh, it's from a movie..."seeing that this had no effect on Maura whatsoever, Jane shrugged and said, "It's a muggle thing."

Jane pulled out her wand, which was sticking out of her pocket, and breathed deeply. She closed her eyes, and pointed her wand directly in front of her. "_Expecto Patronum_"

There was a large silver spark from the tip of her wand, and out of the shimmering haze, the unmistakable body of a lioness began to form. It seemed to stop, pause, sniff the air, then make the motion for an almighty roar. It pounced once, near Jane's feet, and as quickly as it was fabricated, it vanished.

"Wow..." Maura said in a hushed tone.

"Oh, you liked it?" Jane rubbed the back of her neck, feeling her cheeks flush. "when I first did it I got a load of people saying it was unoriginal, cause of the whole Gryffindor thing, y'know."

"I thought it was amazing. It suits you." The blonde said, looking Jane with such a genuine expression of admiration that she could feel her ears going red.

"Jeez, it wasn't up with Harry Potter or anyone...but thanks." She smiled. "So, you ready to try?"

Maura nodded, and got back into position. She allowed the events of the afternoon to play in her mind, the warmth she felt when Jane touched her, the happiness she felt around her. She pointed out her wand, and whispered; _"expecto patronum"_ The silver wisps seemed to dance in the air, as if deciding whether or not to evaporate, but then they clumped together, becoming more solid, until...

"What the hell is that?" Jane yelled, pointing at the large, oval shaped mass that had formed, and was moving slowly across the room.

"An african spurred tortoise." Maura said proudly.

"Huh, looks real friendly, interactive...looks like it'll be really quick when protecting you from dementors." Jane laughed.

Maura pouted, looking up at the brunette with bambi eyes.

"aww, don't look at me like that...you did well for your first time! At least now you know that your patronus is a turtle."

"Tortoise."

"Eh, same difference."

Maura laughed, and before she knew what she was doing, she flung her arms around Jane's neck, breathing a soft "thank you" into the brunette's ear.

"No problem." Jane was slightly out of breath, and ecstatically happy, and she hated to have to let go of the embrace.

"Alright, I gotta go to class, but see you in detention, yeah?"

"See you then." Maura smiled.

Jane left the room practically skipping down the hallway, and because of this, she failed to notice Draco Malfoy passing her in the corridor, headed towards Maura, who was arranging her things in her bag.

"Isles." He said sharply, his arms folded.

"Oh, Draco! I didn't see you, I-"

"I hope you aren't getting distracted now."

"No, of course not-"

"He's on the move Isles, and you'd best be prepared to take immediate action when he arrives." Draco scowled at her. "This is not the time to start becoming absentminded. You know the consequences if you fail. And bear in mind, socializing with mudbloods won't do you any favors."

Maura clenched her teeth, but nodded, muttering "when do you expect him to come?"

"Sometime in the next month." Maura couldn't help gasping. "That soon? Malfoy, he can't possibly expect-" Draco interrupted."Keep your eye's open, _and don't disappoint him_. I recommended you, if you mess it up, then it's over for all of us."

"I'm aware of that. I'll be ready."

"Good. Oh, I heard about your little disaster in potions, how are you enjoying the detentions?"

Maura stared at Malfoy with distain, clenching her fists almost hard enough to draw blood.

"You rigged the cauldron, didn't you?"

"I needed you out of the way. Major preparations are taking place and he still doesn't trust you. Couldn't have you snooping around."

"I think I proved my loyalty with this!" She stuck out her arm, and rolled them up to reveal the dark mark. Draco raised his eyebrows. "well, you certainly did climb in his favor quickly. But that doesn't mean anything. You still need to get your sleeves dirty. And don't look so revolted, being a Death Eater is an honor Maura, and to be serving under such a great man, I mean, Charles Hoyt is a genius, you don't deserve to be working with him. When you learn to appreciate how much you've been granted, you can come back to me with your 'loyalty' then."

Maura glared at him but said nothing.

"Good luck Isles, we're all waiting with _bated_ breath to see your skills." Malfoy said, with a smirk, twisting on his heel and walking briskly away from her.

Maura watched as he strolled off, and once she was sure he was out of sight, she leant against the wall, and slid down, her face in her hands. _"What the hell am I going to do?"_ she thought, miserably.

**Hey Everyone, thanks so much for reading. There will be Rizzles in the next chapter!**


	7. Flight of the Heart

Flight of The Heart.

**As ever, a HUGE thank you to everyone out there reading, and please keeping voting for the Rizzles Fan Awards! :)**

Maura walked towards the quidditch fields with her feet dragging. It was clear to her now. Seeing Jane, keeping that shred of hope, of happiness, was too dangerous. Ever since she was old enough to speak, Maura had been unable to lie, both physically and mentally. Jane was intelligent and intuitive,and eventually, she would ask questions that demanded satisfactory answers. Draco was right. She was being distracted, and she had to keep focused, no matter the emotional sacrifices. That was what she had sworn by, what she had signed up for. She needed to stop...whatever this was between her and Jane.

She strode into the Broom supply room, her head held high. Their detention for today was trimming the twigs on the brooms and wrapping protective leather tape around the handles. Jane turned around, already straining to keep a dodgy old broom from floating off, pushing down on the wood.

"Hey Maura!" Jane grinned, slamming the broom down on the floor. "Oh, hey, did you hear about Dean and Seamus? Apparently they blew up this chair in charms by accident, and then Flitwick sort of managed to-"

Maura listened to Jane's anecdotes without engaging. The task of not responding to the eager and friendly conversation offered to her was becoming increasingly difficult, her resolve fading fast.

When she saw that Maura was silent, already moving away with a pair of shears to trim the brooms, Jane stopped. "Hey, you okay?"

Maura nodded, and continued clip the twigs on the moontrimmer she was holding. "I just want to get these brooms done as quickly as possible."

"Oh." Jane said, turning away from her. She was hurt, but more confused. She thought they had been getting on well...maybe even better than well. Had she gone too far with the mirror?

She glanced down at her hands, and sighed.

"Um, Maura, did I do something to upset you?" Jane asked. Might as well get it over with.

"I...I don't think we should be friends Jane." Maura blurted out, blushing and dropping her head, refusing to look at the brunette. She could feel the stares radiating in her direction.

"Look, I'm sorry if I went too far with the whole mirror thing, I just wanted to help." Jane said, "I didn't mean to intrude." She stomped over to the broomstick pile, and grabbed the first on she saw, started wrapping the leather tape around it, as ferociously as it is possible to wrap.

Maura leapt up, throwing the broom to one side. "No! It's not that. Jane, you've been kinder to me than anyone else has in my whole life..." she paused, trying to gather her thoughts. "people despise me Jane...I'm...I'm a stigma. And if you associate with me, then they'll target you too, they'll hate you for it. You shouldn't have to suffer for the acts of my family-"

"Neither should you." Jane interrupted, staring at Maura intensely with an unreadable expression. "Look." she sighed, sitting down on a wooden crate behind her. "Maura, I want to be your friend, but you've got to trust me! I don't care about any of those idiotic rumors, okay?...I don't give a shit about what other people say. I can handle myself. I think they're half of what they say about you is complete and utter bullshit, I mean, you're smart, and funny, and beautiful, and I think you're a pretty amazing person, ok?" Jane's face was scarlet, and she glared down, refusing to meet Maura's gaze. "If you don't wanna hang out, that's fine. But don't do it for my sake, alright? I was just starting to get used to you."

Maura said nothing, but tears threatened to brim over as she softly mouthed "Thank you."

Smiling, Jane said "Hey hey, don't get all mushy on me. Now, help me out with these things." she pointed at the brooms, some levitating on their own accord. Maura nodded, seeing that Jane was set in her ways, and wouldn't take no for an answer, she decided to indulge in her newfound happiness, and smiled as they swiftly began to sort through the pile.

After about half an hour of companionable silence, they both found themselves covered in dust, and now bruises, from the occasional thwacks of the more temperamental brooms, until they started to talk again.

"So, what do you do for fun, y'know, other than filling that big brain of yours." Jane said, poking Maura in the forehead.

"Um...I help Madame Pomphrey on the weekends, she teaches me healing spells, charms, that kind of thing... and Professor Slughorn has dinners which students attend sometimes... and I love reading...that's about it really, other than quidditch."

"You're one of the Slughorn collective? I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Jane grinned.

"Um, Jane?" Maura asked, absentmindedly, twiddling a piece of her hair around her finger. "I was actually wondering...there's going to be this, um, dinner thing, in Slughorn's office tonight...and we're supposed to bring people, but I never...I was wondering, if you, umm, might want to consider going, with me?"

"I'd love to." Jane, beaming from ear to ear. "I'd love to go with you...I don't really have anything fancy to wear though..." she looked down at her worn down uniform, at the loose threads, and chewed cuffs, and fading red and gold stripes. She suddenly wondered if it was a bad idea, after all, the Isles family was incredibly wealthy, and her own robes were shabby, at best.

Maura looked up, her smile widening. "Oh, thank you Jane! I have lots of formal robes, I could send over a set...you'd look stunning in maroon, I think...wait, no, maybe turquoise...oh Jane _thank you_!"

"No problem, but-" Jane started, before staring at something directly in front of her, her jaw dropping to the floor. "What is it?" Maura asked, startled.

"Is that what I think it is?" Jane said, her tone hushed, almost reverent.

"What, Jane, what is it?" Maura persisted, her panic still evident.

Jane moved towards the corner of the shed, and proceeded to pull on the handle of a broom which was sticking out within a pile of buckets and useless bludgers.

When the broom was clear, Jane blew the dust on the handle underneath to reveal silver, neat writing underneath, which read; "Silver Arrow."

"A broom? That's what all the fuss was about?" Maura said, half relieved, half laughing.

"No, Maura, not just a broom, a _Silver Arrow_, these have been discontinued! They were the best kind of broom to have, about ten years ago, they even surpassed oakshaft 79's and moontrimmers! This is what Madam Hooch told us about, she learned how to fly with one of these...it must be really valuable now." Maura smiled, enchanted by Jane's enthusiasm.

Jane placed it gently on the floor, held her palm up over the wood. "up!" The broom hit her palm gently, and started to mount it.

"Jane!" Maura cried, "We can't _use_ the brooms, Snape will kill us!"

"Eh, what he doesn't know won't hurt him. Now come on, grab a broom."

"No." Maura folded her arms and glared at Jane disapprovingly. "I don't want to wind up in detention for anther week."

"And I thought we were getting along.." Jane said, pouting.

"You know I don't mean it that way, but no, I am not getting on one of these things."

"Ugh, you're no fun." Jane started to get off the broom, when she saw something sticking out of Maura's pocket. Her wand.

With a mischievous grin, she reached and grabbed it, holding it high over Maura's head. "C'mon, you want your wand, you're gonna have to catch me first!" Jane laughed and swung her leg over the broom with ease, shoving the door open with her foot on the way out.

Shaking her head, Maura grabbed the nearest broom and flew out the door. The brightness of the sun, and the vivid colors of the surrounding quidditch pitch took her by surprise. She hadn't realized how dark and dusty the supply shed was. Jane was about twenty feet away from her, brandishing her wand with a smirk on her face.

"You ready?" Jane called out, smiling broadly.

"You've messed with the wrong seeker, Rizzoli!" The blonde shouted back. Jane loved the way the wind was throwing the blonde's hair behind her, catching glints of the sun, making her whole body look like it was glowing. She held the wand up above her head, and said "Let the games begin!"

Jane swooped down, brushing the grass with her fingertips, reveling in the freedom of flight. Maura wasn't in a mood for waiting around, however, and she was keen to get her wand back, and she zoomed down, reaching for the back of Jane's broom, which was only about a meter from her hand...

"Hey! That's a fowl!" Jane swerved violently, almost causing Maura to crash into her.

"I wasn't aware that the normal rules applied." Maura said, laughing. "after all, I don't think theft is encouraged."

The blonde took a chance and zipped towards Jane in an attempt to grab the wand, but Jane was too quick, soaring up to one of the stands, and doing loop-de-loops.

"You'll have to try harder than that!"

Maura said nothing, but leant down further into the broom, ready to accelerate. Jane's smirk fell, as she saw that the blonde meant business. "uh oh..." she muttered, getting ready to fly, but Maura was already pelting towards her, at what seemed to be the speed of lightening.

Jane veered down, attempting to lose her by turning sharply, as close to the ground as she could, but as she looked back over her shoulder, the broom handle caught on a clump of earth, and sent her spinning on the ground. Maura, panicked, and tried to land, but ended up falling right on top of Jane.

The two of them were a tangle of limbs, Maura's arm draped around her waist, while Jane's hand was protectively resting on her back.

"Are you alright?" Maura panted, scanning Jane's body for any obvious injuries.

But Jane could not speak. She gazed up at Maura, and realized that there could not have been more than three inches between them, and she felt the heat of the blonde's breath on hers, smelt her perfume, an intoxicating mixture of jasmine and lemon. Maura stared into Jane's dark eyes, and she could feel herself being pulled into a chaotic edge from which there was no return, her heart beating at a seemingly impossible rate.

Neither of them said a word, but each of them leaned forward, their lips almost brushing...

"JANE!" someone was calling out, and both Jane and Maura scrambled away from each other, looking in every direction that wasn't the other ones face.

"JAAANNNNNEEEE!" The calling persisted, and the brunette glance up, to see the figure of frost, riding a broomstick in the distance, along with Frankie and his girlfriend, Alicia Spinnet.

"Jesus H Christ, he HAD to come now..." Jane murmured, through gritted teeth.

Maura scrambled up, her face scarlet.

"Oh, there you are...GUYS, SHE'S HERE!" Frost hollered at the two figures behind him.

"Hey!" he waved cheerily, not noticing Jane's furious expression. "We came to rescue you from detention, look, we brought quidditch stuff and everything!"

Frost was busy unloading a trunk filled with old quaffles, and a snitch, when Jane turned to Maura to see that she was getting ready to leave. "Hey, you leaving already?" Jane said, softly.

"Um, I don't want to intrude." Maura said, blowing away a strand of hair from the corner of her mouth.

"You wouldn't be. We'd love to have you." Jane said, looking pointedly at Frost, who nodded. Alicia, who had just landed, said, "Yeah, it'll be fun!" looping her arm through Frankie's, who looked too twitter-pated to realize what was going on at all.

Maura shook her head, "Thanks, so much, all of you, but...I really have to get ready for tonight."

"Well...at least let me fly you back." Jane insisted, grabbing the broom, and patting the back, motioning for Maura to sit. The blonde beamed, and settled on the back of the broomstick with ease, wrapping her arms around Jane's waist.

They zoomed up, Jane taking care to fly a little slower than normal, partly because she didn't want to repeat their previous fiasco, but mainly because she loved the feeling of Maura clinging on to her, and the warmth that spread between the two of them.

She landed carefully on the balcony of the Ravenclaw tower, and peered in. It was beautiful, the sheer amount of windows made the whole room seem light, and airy. The room was circular, and the domed ceiling was painted a deep Catalina blue, with hundreds of gold and silver stars sparkling amongst it. The bronze and blue banners of Ravenclaw house were carefully draped over doorways and bookcases. "Woah..." Jane breathed, gazing around the tower in fascination. "It's charming, isn't it?" Maura said, a degree of pride in her voice.

"You can say that again...' Jane hopped off the broom, holding onto the ledge of the window to keep her balance. Maura slid off, and smiled, peering up at Jane.

"It's kinda like that play, isn't it?" Jane grinned, gesturing to the balcony.

"You mean Romeo and Juliet?"

"Yeah, that one."

"Well, I certainly hope not...in Shakespeare's play, almost everyone dies...you know, many muggles believe that that Shakespeare didn't actually write his plays? They think that it may have been Queen Elizabeth, or perhaps-" Maura was cut off when Jane leaned towards her, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek. She looked at Jane, in a state of deliriousness "I can't wait to hear all about it..." Jane said, twinkling. "See you at the main hall tonight?"

Maura nodded, and watched as Jane flew gracefully back towards the pitches, her robe billowing out behind her.

"That girl is going to be the death of me..."she said, under her breath, her heart fluttering at the prospects and promise the night offered her.

However, deep within the catacombs of buildings long forgotten and discarded, something sinister was moving. Two cloaked men stood facing each other, one drawing his wand out wearily.

"Don't insult me Charles. Nagini, circle." A raspy, snake -like voice cut through the darkness, and an enormous burmese python began to carefully circumvent the two, making sure to brush it's body lovingly against her master. He hurriedly disposed of the wand, throwing it to one side.

"Can you do the job, Hoyt? Your previous failures have left much to be..._desired_."

Hoyt peered up, gazing reverently at the dark lord. "...I want to feel their blood, covering my skin...and I am prepared to slit their throats. One. By. One. " He shrugged nonchalantly.

"You must wait, Hoyt, now is not the time for bloodshed. That will come later. Dumbledore must be our focus."

Hoyt sagged his shoulders. "Do not act like a petulant child, Hoyt." He continued, bringing out his long, white fingers, and raising them, as if to cast a wandless spell. "Your wand."

Hoyt picked it up off the ground, and handed it to him gingerly, waiting for the flash of green light.

"I will not kill you...yet. But tell me, what about the girl? The pureblood?"

"I will seek her out tonight. Your servant, Draco, assures me that she is prepared for the task."

"_I alone_ will be the one to determine her worth. Bring her to me, before the moon is full."

"Yes, my lord." Hoyt mumbled.

The dark lord and the snake vanished, in a cloud of black smoke, disapparating high above his head, coiling and twisting into the night.


	8. Bright Young Things

**As always, a MASSIVE, MASSIVE thank you to everyone reading! You guys are amazing, and I have read every single review, you guys are too kind. :) Hope you enjoy the next chapter! **

Maura sat on her dormitory floor, gazing into her wardrobe, now empty, the floor surrounding her covered in clothes. For the first time in her life, Maura Isles couldn't decide what to wear. The sunset made everything within the tower drip in honey gold light, and she stared wistfully at the quidditch fields, watching the cold winter air swirl, carrying blackened leaves from one place to the next. She sighed heavily, and turned to the task of preparing an outfit for the evening. Everyone else had already left, even Luna Lovegood had practically floated out of the dormitories, blissfully happy that Harry had asked her to go, cheerfully brandishing her best pair of beaded radish earrings.

Maura couldn't even think about Slughorn's party without feeling her heart flutter. She had sent a robe for Jane to wear to the Gryffindor dormitories about half an hour ago, but truth be told, she had not been very careful in picking it out. She had seen the midnight blue radiate from among her other clothes, and simply knew it would be the perfect color for Jane to wear.

It still left her with the dilemma of choosing her _own_ dress robe, however, and she rubbed her forehead in frustration.

"Are you alright Maura?" The sing-song voice of Luna Lovegood rippled through the room. Maura looked up in surprise. "Luna? What are you doing here? I thought you would be at the party."

"I'm going in a minute, but I forgot my shoes." Surely enough, the sandy haired girl was standing there in her best clothes, her pale bare feet sticking our among the frills. Maura smiled. "Do you want to borrow some of mine?" Maura asked, gesturing to the pile around her.

"Oh, thanks, but I've got a pair of bright yellow ones, I think they'll do nicely. To keep the nargles away, I mean." Luna picked them up from under her bed and slipped them on, observing Maura as she scrambled in search of something to put on.

Luna swung her long legs to the side of the bed, peering over her shoulder at the clothes. "I think you should wear that one." She said, pointing to a turquoise blue dress robe.

"This one?" Maura held it up, looking doubtful. "I don't normally wear things this...bright."

"I think Jane will like it." Luna said. "She told me a few years ago that her favorite color is turquoise."

Raising her eyebrows, Maura asked "How did you know I was going with Jane?"

"I overheard her talking about it with Frost." Luna said distractedly, tying her hair up int a ponytail. "It's funny, she must really like Professor Slughorn...I've never seen her smiling so much." She said nonchalantly, skipping out of the room, her blonde hair bouncing on her shoulders.

Maura watched her leave, her mouth open. Luna had a startling propensity for hitting the nail on the head when it came to sensitive issues, even when done unintentionally.

She glanced at the door, and could hear the excited chattering of students, laughing and giggling, exchanging hair ties and spells for wrapping hair into a complicated sort of bun.

She picked up the dress robe, a turquoise blue dress, with a simple, figure hugging design, low shouldered, with a silky grey robe to place over it. She glanced at it with a newfound sense of determination. She was going to the dinner with Jane, Rizzoli,and with that knowledge in the back pocket of her mind, she felt that she could do anything.

Meanwhile, in the opposite side of the castle, Jane was also getting ready, with Ginny sitting behind her on the bed charming her hair, in an attempt to straighten it.

"It won't stay put!" Ginny huffed, flinging her wand onto her pillow. "Honestly Jane, your curls are so wild you would think someone had cursed them!"

Jane bit the inside of her cheek, her face growing scarlet. Her hair had never really been an issue for her, but she was trying her damnedest to look nice. Maura was an _Isles_ for crying out load, and her usual shabby self was not adequate for such an occasion, at least in Jane's own mind. She glanced at the clock. She was meeting Maura at the great hall in twenty minutes, and she hadn't even tried on the dress robes.

"Can't you try it one more time Ginny? I need this to work!"

Rolling her eyes, the red head nodded, and picked up her wand again, pointing it at the back of Jane's head, muttering "_Updo formus_." nothing happened.

Hermione Granger strolled, clad in violet colored dress robes made out of a strange, breezy material, with Ron trotting close behind her, and bent over laughing, her eyes watering.

"What?" Ginny snapped, her patience wearing thin.

"You can't honestly think that's a real spell?" Hermione said teasingly, wiping the corner of her eye.

"For your information, Fred gave it to me two years ago...he said that mum uses it sometimes!...oh."

Hermione shook her head, and reached into a small purse at her side, pulling a brightly colored orange bottle out of it. She walked over to Jane and pressed it into her hand. "Here Jane, I think there should be a good bit left."

Jane glanced at the bottle, which read 'Sleekeazy's Hair Potion'

The brunette glanced up to see Hermione's usually frizzy hair, which was pulled back into a neat bun, wisps of hair framing her heart shaped face.

"Thanks!" Jane squeezed the bottle, a transparent blue liquid pooling in her palm. She glanced at it, embarrassed. "Uh, Hermione, what do I do with this stuff, exactly?"

"Just rub it into your scalp." Hermione said, glancing over her shoulder, pulling the strap bag back up. "I'll see you all later!"

Jane sighed, and murmured "Well, here goes nothing." She tilted her head, rubbing her fingers through her dark curls, surprised to feel the absence of the knots she usually felt towards the tips.

"Woah..." Ginny stood back, looking at Jane with an expression of awe. "You look great!"

Jane peered at the mirror next to her, and could not stop staring. Her hair was glossy and straight, and seemed longer, stopping mid-way between her shoulders and lower back.

"Thanks...I don't think I've ever looked this- OW!" Jane felt a series of sharp tugs on her hair. "Ginny- ow- what are you doing?" She grumbled.

"Look, you still need your hair done up...and stay still for crying out loud! I've almost got it."

Wincing occasionally, Jane stayed as still as she could as she felt her dark locks being twisted and curled into a tight bun.

"There we are!" Ginny smiled triumphantly. "Finished!"

Jane stared at herself in the mirror. For the first time, she didn't recognize herself. For the first time, her long arms and legs didn't seem gangly and unsightly, they were...elegant.

Ginny tugged on her arm. "Look, when you don't have a dinner to go to you can oolge at yourself in the mirror all you want, you've got to get dressed!"

Jane jumped to attention, and ran, throwing the robe over her self, and half hopping out of the common room as she slipped on a pair of decorated pumps.

Ginny was flying out in front of her, running, "C'mon Jane, we'll be late!"

They raced through the twisting dark corridors, ignoring the filthy looks they got from filch and the prefects for daring to be so undignified.

Jane stopped as the approached the doors of the great hall, bending over with her hands on her knees, laughing. "I think I won that one, eh Ginny?" She grinned, but looked up when there was no reply. Instead, she met the golden-hazel eyes of Maura Isles.

"Maura?" Jane gasped, her breath literally taken away, both from the exercise, and the figure in front of her.

Maura was dressed in a turquoise blue dress, which reached just above her knees,with a practically see through muslin skirt at the back, with blew back with the slightest breeze. And her eyes...jesus, it was like looking into the universe itself. They were filled with suns, magnified versions of the candle flames decorating the castle, with light smoke decorating her lids, turning into a dark coal wings.

"you...you look...christ..." Jane stuttered, rubbing the back of her neck. "I wish I'd dressed up now."

Maura beamed at her, reaching up her hand to cup Jane's cheek.

"Wha-" before Jane could finish, Maura was tucking a stray curl behind her ear. Jane could swear that her heart was pumping hard enough for the both of them.

"Ah darn it, is my hair going back again?" Jane muttered, glaring upwards.

"You look stunning Jane..."

Jane snorted, and looked down at her shoes. "Yeah right..."

"You don't know?" Maura gazed at Jane in awe and bewilderment. "You're _gorgeous_ my friend." She looped her arm through the brunettes, and tugged gently. "Come look."

She pushed her gently in front of a mirror leaning against the opposite wall.

Jane's eyebrows shot up, her hair had been one thing...but the dress...it was navy blue, with sequins scattered at the bottom, enchanted to shine more brightly when there was no light source nearby. It was low and curved in the chest, accentuating her collarbone.

"Hey, the girl cleans up good huh? I feel like Eliza Doolittle."

"I don't understand..." Maura pouted, her head tilted.

"We gotta get you into more muggle stuff."

Maura smiled. "I'd like that. Will you show me?" They locked eyes, and both of them seemed to realize that the banter and not-so-feigned flirting would inevitably crack, leading them both them both into a chasm, awaiting some strange, beautiful chaos with such gravity that they both knew they could never return to being the people they once were, for better, or for worse.

Jane nodded, and they both heard the chimes of the Hogwarts bell ring and reverberate down through the castle, as the doors to Slughorn's office were opened, cheers and delighted laughs unleashed from inside, the red and gold light pooling onto the floor, seeping through the cracks in the walls.

It was time.

**Ok, Ok, I'm sorry for teasing, but the next chapter will be updated soon, and I swear, there will be a fight, a rescue, and a kiss: Rizzles of course!**


	9. Dancing and Duels

**Hello all! Rizzles in this chapter. (At long last, I know.) Enjoy! :)**

The door of Slughorn's office swung open, light pooling into the corridor. A large group of students were now standing, huddled together, when they saw Slughorn himself, who was dressed in what looked more like a bathrobe than formal attire. He was brandishing a large cup of brandy in one hand, his wand in the other, which was sending gold sparks around the room.

"Well don't just stand at the walls! Come on in!"

Jane and Maura shuffled into the room with the crowd, Jane looping her arms through the smaller girl's, as she peered around at the masses of people inside the room.

There were witches and wizards from every walk of life and occupation, from quiddith players and pub owners to former Hogwarts professors, and Jane gulped, tightening her grip on Maura.

"Maura..." she said, through gritted teeth. "Maura, seriously, I don't think this is the sort of thing I should be at..."

"Don't be silly Jane, you'll fit right in." She rubbed her hand on her forearm, in an attempt to reassure her.

"Seriously...can't I just...ditch, or something?"

Maura bent her head down, staring at her shoes. She tried to suppress the lump forming in her throat.

"Aw jeez,are you crying?" Jane lowered down, placing a finger under her chin, forcing Maura to look at her. "Look, I'm sorry, I'm just not used to things like this, and..." she fumbled, desperately trying to distract her.

"So _you're_ the Rizzoli everyone has been talking about!" Jane wheeled around as she felt a prod to her shoulder. She was staring straight into the eyes of Blythe Parkin, a tall woman with a pixie haircut and sharp cheekbones.

Jane stared up at her, her mouth agape.

"I spent about 10 minutes talking to your brother before I found out that it was you that Slughorn was talking about, but good grief, I've had my ear talked off tonight about Gryffindor's star chaser. Keep up the good work." Blythe grasped Jane's hand in both of hers, flashing a smile. "Must be going, our sponsor is here, and he's not happy with me...I think Rita Skeeter caught me at the pub last week and I'm not entirely sure what I did..." She glanced to one side, "Or didn't tell her. Good Luck!"

When Jane turned back round, Maura had moved over to the food table, where she was glumly holding out a cup as an enchanted ladle served her punch.

"Hey." Jane said, grabbing a canapé.

"Hey yourself." Maura said, passing the cup to Jane.

"Thanks. Hey, you'll never guess who that was..."

"Blythe Parkin, the fastest seeker that England's team has ever had, 220 catches in one year, 5 fouls, and 2 trophies won, thanks to her."

Jane grinned broadly. "I kinda love that you know that...and hey," Jane moved closer to the smaller girl, placing a hand on her forearm. "Sorry for being a jerk."

Blushing, Maura turned away, concentrating on the food and drink in her hands. "So, have you been drafted yet?"

"Hmm?"

"For England, I mean."

Jane shook her head, her curls unravelling from the bun. "Nah, I don't think I'll be playing professionally anytime soon."

"Well, at least the cup is coming up, we'll be able to play then."

"Yeah." Jane sighed, tilting her head up to stare at the ceiling. "Although I'm not sure I'll ever get back on that pitch, what with all the detentions Snape's got up his sleeve." Jane fumbled with the cuff of her robe. "I am sorry about that, by the way."

Maura looked up. "...I mean, you didn't do anything wrong, you shouldn't have winded up there too."

"You're wrong."

Jane stopped.

"That detention made me happier than anything else has in a long time...I mean, not at first, but...it got me you, in the end, so I don't begrudge you for it Jane, in fact, I should probably have thanked you, a long time ago."

Jane stood there with food in either hand, feeling as if someone had just cast a petirificus spell on her. Under any other circumstance it would have been comical, but in that moment, everyone else on the planet seemed to have been swiped off the face of existence. Jane shoved the food onto a nearby table and grabbed Maura's hand.

"Let's dance!"

"Jane..."

"C'mon, it's a party right? Lets have some fun." Jane tugged gently, leading her through the crowd to a door at the back of the room, stepping outside into the moonlight. Some of the older witches and wizards were leaning against a wall, smoking pipes. They nodded at the two girls as they went past, moving towards a small grove of trees, their black branched a silhouette in front of the moon.

They could still hear the noise from the party, the music humming in the air around them.

"I should warn you, I have the dancing skills of a gargoyle." Jane said, keeping her hand entwined with Maura's. The blonde giggled. "That's okay, I can teach you..."

Maura moved forward, taking both of Jane's hands in hers. "Okay, so put your hand here..." shaking slightly, she guided Jane's hands to her lower back. "and I put mine here..."

With her hands loosely draped around Jane's neck, Maura moved one foot forward, and Jane reacted, stepping back, stumbling.

"The taller one is supposed to lead..." Maura giggled. "I guess it makes it more tricky."

Biting her lip, Jane moved forward, in the same way as before, and the two managed to settle into some semblance of rhythm.

The moon was hidden by clouds, but slivers peeked through from time to time, lighting up the outline of the trees.

Jane lifted her arm, twirling Maura around, then draped her arm over her shoulders, puling her in.

"Are you cold?" She whispered, the warmth of her breath tickling Maura and making her heart summersault against her chest.

"No...this is perfect." She reached up, brushing over Jane's hand with her fingertips.

"Let's go in and get some eggnog, might as well get into the Christmas spirit eh?"

"I'd almost forgotten..."

"About the eggnog?"

"No, about Christmas..."

Jane smiled, as they strolled back towards the party, light pooling out of the door.

"Well, what are you doing for the holidays?"

Before Maura had a chance to answer, Harry came running up to them, looking flustered, his hair sticking out more than usual.

"How's it going Harry?" Jane asked, looking around to see if Luna was nearby.

"Oh, good, good..." He mumbled distractedly, "Look, you haven't seen Malfoy anywhere have you?"

"Uh...nope, sorry."

Harry nodded, and hurried away, muttering "up to something" and "Snape" under his breath.

"Sometime's I think he's got a screw loose..." Jane said, turning to Maura, who shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess after fighting You-know-who, he can afford to be a bit loopy."

Jane jerked away from Maura suddenly, running behind her and gripping her shoulders tightly. "Jane! What on earth are you-"

"Maura, would you please tell me if I'm actually seeing what I think I see..."

She gestured to a woman in a black and yellow dress robe, holding a goblet of wine and talking cheerily to Professor Trelwaney.

"That's Gwenog Jones, she's the captain of the Holyhead Harpies, isn't she?"

"omgomgomgomg" Jane mumbled, running a hand through her (once again) wild hair.

"Go talk to her." Maura said, gently prodding Jane on the shoulder.

"I can't just go _talk _to her Maura!" Jane said, scandalized at the very idea.

"Why not?"

"...because...because...she's a professional, I have a poster of her for crying out loud! and...and...oh screw it, you're right, I AM going to talk to her."

Jane walked towards her, shoulders stiffened, head raised high, only to pelt back to Maura after two seconds.

"Hey, you don't happen to have any parchment on ya, by any chance? I'd love an autograph."

Maura shook her head. "No, but I think Ginny may have some...I think she has the same idea as you..."

"I'll only be a minute." Jane said, flashing a smile. "Take your time! I'm going to go get some food." Maura turned, and was walking towards the side of the room when she felt a vice-like grip on her arm. She turned to see Malfoy glaring at her. "Isles, outside, _now_."

They stumbled outside the office, Maura glowering at him, brushing off her arm. "What the heck was that about Draco?"

He didn't answer, but jerked his head towards the door, where Snape emerged.

"Miss Isles." He said coldly. "You and Jane Rizzoli will be spending detention separately tomorrow." Maura glanced up, surprised. "You will go to the forbidden forrest at 8pm, and you will wait there for Charles Hoyt to arrive. He will be instructing you from this point on. You tell no-one where you are going, is that _absolutely_ clear?" Maura nodded, moving away from the two of them, her body shaking.

Snape grabbed Malfoy, pulling him to one side and began talking to him in low tones, admonishing him. She rushed round the corner, until she could no longer hear them, and leant back against the cool, stone wall, slipping down and burying her face in her arms. The minutes passed by, and for once, Maura was thankful for the silence, and for the rare relief that solitude brought her.

Jane stared down at the parchment in front of her in delight, the loopy signature scrawled with a small doodle of a broom underneath. Ginny peered over her shoulder, grinning. "She put a snitch under mine, she was so sweet, wasn't she?"

"Yeah! God, I wish I had thought of something to say other than "good game" but there ya go...by the way, where's Maura?"

Ginny pointed her finger at the door. "She went out with Malfoy about fifteen minutes ago."

"Guess I'll go see how she's doin'. See you later Ginny!"

Maura could hear footsteps echoing, and she stood up hurriedly, brushing her tears aside quickly. It was Malfoy, running a hand through his carefully arranged hair. He looked gaunt, his face pale.

"What was that about?"

"None of your business, Isles." He snapped, folding his arms and looking away. Maura almost felt sorry for him, after all, he had an even bigger cross to bear than she did, the difference lay in the fact that he fooled himself into thinking he enjoyed and relished the weight.

"Look, Draco..."

"Don't give me any of that! Don't you dare say you know how I feel!" He yelled, his fists clenched tight. "You and I are _nothing_ alike, and you stoop as low as befriending that filthy mudblood, pretending that you aren't a member of your own family, and you expect all of this to just go away..." he gestured wildly at nothing particular. "and don't look so shocked Isles, I've seen the way you look at her, we all have. It's disgusting."

Jane's breath hitched.

"DON'T call her a mudblood Draco." Her voice was dangerously low.

"Oh, I could call her far worse. And you think that mudblood won't find out what you really are...you think this can really last? That's the really pitiful thing."

"STOP CALLING HER THAT!"

"Who's going to stop me?" He smirked, as he saw Maura draw her wand.

"Oh, you want a fight do you? Well, I'm game. C'mon Isles, give me your best shot!"

Red sparks flew at Malfoy's face, which he only narrowly managed to block. His brow furrowed, and he aimed, golden sparks flying at her.

Maura felt her heel catch in a loose stone tile on the floor, sending her flying backwards. She stumbled up, but her wand was a good three feet away from her, and Malfoy already had his raised. "Sectum Sempra!"

Jane pelted out, skidding in front of Maura, her arm raised. "Protego!"

A partial shield formed, but Malfoy's spell ricocheted along the wall, hitting Jane's shoulder. Seeing that his spell had the desired effect, Malfoy smirked, and glared at the both of them, quickly turning on his heel when he heard Snape barking "Malfoy!"

She hissed in pain, turning to Maura. "You alright?" Maura scrambled over to Jane. "I'm fine, but Jane, you were hit..."

Jane tried to push her away, but winced, gripping her shoulder.

"Here, let me look at it..." Maura gently sat Jane down, and leant beside her, taking out her wand, pushing the material away from her shoulder. She sucked in her breath when she saw the blood.

"Is it bad?" Jane asked, her eyes shut closed.

"Nothing I can't fix." Jane opened her eyes to see golden hazel eyes brimming with tears.

"Hey, hey, don't cry Maur..." Jane brushed a tear away with her thumb. "I'll live, right?"

Maura smiled weakly. "Here, let me." She raised her wand above her skin, and watched as it slowly closed over the wound, as if sealing it with invisible stitches.

"Oh shit..." Jane mumbled.

"What? Are you ok? Are you hurt anywhere else?" Maura scanned Jane's body frantically.

"No, I'm fine, but I think I got blood on your dress..."

Maura shook her head, her lip trembling, and flung her arms around Jane's neck, nuzzling into her collar. "You're such an idiot Jane Rizzoli!" She whimpered, "Why'd you do it? You could have been hurt..." Jane pushed Maura away reluctantly, taking both her hands in hers, gripping them tenderly. "Because you're my friend..." Jane gulped, trying to bring her breathing to a normal level. "and...because..." But words failed her, and she peered at Maura desperately, looking for a way out. Maura felt her heart drumming in her ears, and leant forward, pressing her lips firmly against Jane's. It felt like flying and falling all at once, like an explosion. Jane wrapped her arms around Maura, and in that moment, nothing could persuade her to ever, ever, let go.

**Sorry for the wait folks! Next chapter should be up within the next two or three weeks. **


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